First Vegetables of Spring

I could hardly contain my excitement yesterday when I went to the West Side Market and my favorite stand, The Basketeria, and saw they had fresh, local asparagus.

I love roasted asparagus. Preheat the oven to 450. Wash and trim the asparagus. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil, a clove of minced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Roll it around to coat. Roast for about 3-4 minutes for fresh, thin spears. Toss with some fresh lemon juice and use a vegetable peeler to shave some fresh parmigano-reggiano. Perfection.

I also picked up some turnips and fresh, organic new potatoes so I could try out a recipe in this week's Splendid Table newsletter.


Spring Turnips with Mellowed Garlic

Turnips never get the strokes that potatoes, tomatoes and other vegetables get all the time. Try this dish of new potatoes, spring turnips, mellowed garlic and fresh grated nutmeg. So French it practically speaks with an accent.

This recipe evolved over the years from one created by Michele Urvater and David Liederman in their Cooking the Nouvelle Cuisine in America (Workman Publishing, 1979). It's our favorite partner with everything from simply a salad or other vegetables to any seafood or meat you can imagine.

Serves 4 to 6 and halves easily

* 2-1/4 pounds small organic turnips, peeled and quartered
* 3/4 pound organic new potatoes (Yellow Finns, red skins, White Rose or Desiree), peeled and cut in to 1-inch chunks
* 6 quarts boiling salted water
* 1-1/2 to 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (homemade preferred)
* 20 large cloves garlic, peeled but not crushed
* A generous pinch freshly ground nutmeg
* Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 3 tablespoons snipped chives

1. Boil turnips and potatoes 8 minutes and drain. Turn into a 12-inch sauté pan, adding the garlic, 1-1/2 cups broth, nutmeg, a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook at a very slow bubble over medium-low heat, adding more broth if sticking is a problem. Stir often with a wooden spatula.

2. After about 25 minutes, when garlic is soft, cook off any excess broth until mixture is almost dry. Puree with the butter in a food processor, tasting for seasoning.

3. Serve hot sprinkled with chives, or refrigerate up to 24 hours. Reheat puree in a bowl set over a pot of boiling water.

If your turnips are a little larger than called for, be sure to cut them into smaller pieces and give them a little more cooking time.

I served it with the roasted asparagus and a nice, fresh piece of Alaskan Halibut that I simply seasoned and seared on the stovetop in a little butter and olive oil and finished in the oven for about 8 minutes. Not the most photogenic meal, but delicious.

The garlic does indeed mellow and you could probably pass this off to non-turnip eaters as garlic mashed potatoes and no one would be the wiser.

If anyone wants a chunk of chive plant, mine are in need of some dividing.